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WEDNESDAY EDITION
COAST
CENTRAL
RACE IN THE
NEW YEAR
SPORTS — B
A&E — INSIDE
127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 1
EMERGENCY SERVICES
ACCIDENTS,
GUNFIRE
RING IN THE
NEW YEAR
Two serious accidents and a
shooting incident in Old
Town ushered in 2017
W
estern Lane Ambulance District,
Florence Police Department and
Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue
were all kept busy Dec. 31, starting with two
serious accidents happening just moments apart
at about 1 p.m.
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Saturday.
Siuslaw News
A two-vehicle
collision at the
87000 block of Highway 101 required firemen
to extract one female from a van so she could be
transported to the hospital.
Siuslaw Valley Fire Marshall Sean Barrett
said, “It took several firefighters to get her out
safely. A child passenger and two female pas-
sengers in the other vehicle were uninjured.”
According to Barrett, at about the same time,
the fire department was called out to assist with
a serious injury at the Red Buggy Hill area,
south of Florence in Oregon Dunes National
Recreational Area.
“We had to help the ambulance crew. They
couldn’t get to the patient, so we assisted with
our side-by-side utility vehicle to get to the
patient and get the patient out of the dunes,”
Barrett said.
Western Lane Operations Manager Matt
House said, “The rider went off a 10-12 foot
drop off, resulting in a spinal fracture.”
The patient was transported to PeaceHealth
Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in
Springfield.
Several other minor accidents occurred over
the holiday weekend, mostly due to slippery
roads caused by freezing temperatures.
Later that evening, Florence police received
several 911 calls reporting gun shots being fired
along Bay Street in Old Town.
Police Commander John Pitcher said, “When
we arrived, several witnesses had taken cover
and were hiding. They pointed to an apartment
on Bay Street where the suspect had returned.
We made contact and took him into custody.”
See
❘ JANUARY 4, 2017 ❘ $1.00
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
L OCAL
FLORENCE, OREGON
COUPLE RECEIVE STATEWIDE HONOR
Rankins chosen as Oregon Tree Farmer of the Year for 2017 for South Slough Road property
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Siuslaw News
T
he Oregon Tree Farm System has cho-
sen Dave and Diane Rankin’s 194-acre
tree farm located south of Florence on
South Slough Road as the 2017 Oregon Tree
Farm of the Year.
The honor is the result of the Rankins’ hard
work, education and adherence to a well devel-
oped management plan.
Diane said, “There are four goals of the
Oregon Tree Farm System: wood, water,
wildlife and recreation. They want to know what
you are doing about those four things, not only
for yourself, but also for the community.”
Dave said, “The honor we received is called
the Tree Farmer of the Year from the Oregon
Tree Farm System. They are associated with the
Oregon Small Woodlands Association.
“The Oregon Small Woodlands Association
nominates one tree farmer from each participat-
ing county. We happen to be this year’s nominee
from Lane County. Five other tree farms were
also nominated this year.”
According to Rankin, Lane County has 179
Oregon Small Woodlands Association members.
The state has more than 1,000 members.
He said one of the biggest challenges to Small
Woodland members is how to transfer property
to the next generation.
Diane said, “In order to be considered a
‘small woodland,’ the total wooded acres must
be less than 5,000. The larger companies like
Roseburg Lumber support the Small Woodlands
Association, but they themselves are not mem-
bers. Most of the association members are our
size or smaller, maybe even as few as 50 acres.”
The Rankins have between 160 and 165 acres
of woodlands with another 30 acres of wetlands.
The state association award comes with some
benefits to the Florence business community.
“The county that has nominated the Tree
Farm of the Year then hosts the Oregon Small
Woodlands annual meeting somewhere in the
JACK DAVIS/SIUSLAW NEWS
Dave and Diane Rankin were chosen for the
2017 Tree Farmer of the Year award from the
Oregon Tree Farm System for their 194-acre
tree farm located on South Slough Road,
south of Florence. The Rankins have owned
the property since 1975.
county. Since we are from the coast, it is going
to be over here.”
“It will be at Three Rivers Casino Resort. We
were going to hold it at the Florence Events
Center, but they couldn’t accommodate the
dates,” Dave said.
Dave said the event could draw 150 to 200
people from all over the state.
“People will be arriving on Thursday, June 15.
There will be daylong meetings on Friday, June
16, at the casino and then on Saturday, June 17,
we will have a tree farm tour here,” he said.
The Rankins moved here from Eugene in
1963 to teach in the Siuslaw School district.
They bought the 194-acre South Slough Road
parcel in 1975.
At that time, they had no immediate plans to
log the property.
“This place was logged in the late ’50s, after
World War II,” Dave said. “The loggers at that
time came through and pretty much high-
graded the land. They took the Douglas fir and
red cedar. Those were the valuable species.
They left behind the hemlock and spruce that
See
TREE FARM 6A
Dancing for the Stars of Tomorrow
Rotary Club of Florence premieres theme for upcoming auction on March 11
INCIDENTS 6A
Town Hall Meeting
Saturday brings
Roblan, McKeown
to Florence
INSIDE
Sen. Arnie Roblan (D-Coos Bay) and Rep.
Caddy McKeown (D-Coos Bay) will co-host a
Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, Jan. 7, from
10 to 11:30 am. The town hall will take place
in the Bromley Room of the Siuslaw Public
Library, 1460 Ninth St.
“It’s always a pleasure to connect with my
constituents,” said McKeown. “I’m looking
forward to this opportunity to talk with them
and hear what’s on their mind before heading
into the 2017 Session.”
McKeown and Roblan will discuss legisla-
tive issues on the horizon for the upcoming
session, particularly transportation, education
and coastal economic development opportuni-
ties.
If there is time, they will answer questions
from those in attendance.
For more information, contact Meliah
Masiba at 503-986-1409.
Community . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Library Tidings . . . . . . . . . . .
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A3
B6
A5
A4
Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Winter Sports Preview . . . . . B4
Dance show contestants and the skit’s two
hosts await the judges’ final scores.
“W
The three judges watch pop, salsa and
disco performances by three “finalist”
couples in the “Dancing” skit.
THIS WEEK ’ S
e’ll have a ball!” the planners of the 2017
Rotary Auction announced as they debuted
this year’s “Dancing for the Stars of
Tomorrow” theme with a dazzling skit based on a TV
dance show. “It’s not about us,” Kevin McMullen said.
“It is about the stars of the future. This event is for
scholarships, community services and projects.”
Hoping to surpass 2016’s total of $108,000 raised for
scholarships for high school and college students in
the Florence and Mapleton area, the fundraising event
on March 11 will feature both a silent auction and a live
auction. Florence Events Center will hold the dinner
and dancing beginning at 5 p.m. For more information,
go to www.theflorencerotary.org/auction-about.php.
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